Vehicle door latch



April l1, 1939.

H, w. RIGHTMYER VEHICLE DOOR LATCH Filed Dec. 2l, 1936 \2 Sheets-Sheet l Gumy April 11, 1939. H. w- RIGHTMYER 2,153,699

VEHICLE DOOR LATCH Filed Dec. 21, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1:1 E- 5 l: 1 EP. i

38a 366i (24 7 M5 /0 y 6736/35 A w Bum/M434 Patented Apr. 11, Y1939 PATENT OFFICE VEHICLE DOOR LATCH Holden W. Rightmyer, Toledo, Ohio, assigner to The American Swiss Company, Toledo, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application December 21,

5 Claims.

This invention relates to door latches for vehicles and particularly to latches for the decks of automobiles and an object is to produce a new and improved latch of this character, the operating handle of which can be rendered operative by manipulating a dogging member which may form part of a key controlled mechanism, the dogging member being held in retracted position until the latch bolt is again retracted, whereupon the handle is automatically dogged. This is particularly useful in connection with the deck lids or compartment doors of automobiles, because is enables the door or lid to be unlocked by means of a key and then the key removed. The door will remain unlocked until the door is slammed to closed position, whereupon it is automatically locked. Although the invention is particularly useful in connection with deck lids, it can be used to advantage elsewhere, and it is not intended that the invention be so restricted.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, embodiments of the invention are shown on the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a top plan View of the door latch mechanism embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side edge View of the parts shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front edge view of the latch mechanism;

Figure 3A is a fragmentary plan View of the latch with the cover plate removed;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of an alternate form r of latch mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a front edge view of the latch shown in Fig. 4, and

Fig.. 6 is a side edge elevation of the latch shown in Fig. 4.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 comprises a door latch having a case plate I provided with a flange I i at one end which is apertured to receive a bolt nose I2. The bolt nose I2 is secured by rivets I3 to a bolt plate m which is movable longitudinally along the case plate Ill. Formed in the front end of the bolt plate I4 is a horizontal slot I5 through which the handle shaft (not shown) is adapted to extend, the latter being square in cross section and fitting a similarly shaped opening I6 in a roll back I'I suitably mounted on the case plate I0. The roll back Il has oppositely disposed arms I8 which engage with shoulders I9 provided on the bolt plate I 4, It will be obvious that the 1936, Serial No. 116,924

latch bolt is retracted upon turning of the roll back Il in one direction or the other.

The bolt nose I2 is normally urged to latching position by means of a coil spring 29 disposed in a slot 2| formed in the bolt plate I4. The rear end of the spring bears against the downwardly extending tongue 22 integral with the cover plate 3l] and the forward end of the spring bears against a tongue 23 which depends from the bolt plate I4 in the forward end of the slot 2 I. It will be apparent that the spring 29 normally holds the shoulders I9 against the arms I8 of the roll back.

Disposed on the upper side of the bolt plate I4 is a clogging slide 24 on one side of which is a rod 25, about which is disposed a coil spring 26 15 l which bears at one end against the slide 24 and at the other end against a bracket 2l mounted on the case plate I0. The spring 25 normally urges the clogging slide 24 toward the roll back Il. lin the front end of the dogging slide 24 is formed a notch 28 which is adapted, when the slide 24 is in its, forward position, to engage the squared handle shaft (not shown) in the roll back opening I6, thereby to prevent turning movement of the handle shaft and roll back Il. At the rear end of the clogging slide 24 is a downturned flange 29 which is adapted to ride on the case plate lil. Fitting over the clogging slide 24 and a portion of the bolt plate I4 is a cover plate 39 having a plurality of ears 3l which extend through openings in the case plate Il) and are bent over against the under side thereof, to hold the cover plate in position.

The dogging slide 24 is retracted by a shaft, (not shown), engaging in an opening 32, such shaft extends outwardly through'a cylinder lock housing 33, the cylinder lock being omitted from the drawings. The opening 32 is formed in an eccentric cam 34. Formed in the flogging slide 24 is an opening 35 and against the rear edge of this opening, the eccentric cam 34 is held by the coil spring 29. It will be apparent that by turning movement of the cam 34, the clogging slide 24 is retracted against the force of the spring 26 -to permit the squared handle shaft disposed in the opening' I6 to be freed and thereby permit retraction of the latch bolt.

In accordance with this invention, the clogging slide 24 is retained in its retracted position until further retraction o f the latch bolt. For this purpose a detent 36 is pivoted at 3l to the case plate III and is urged in a counter-clockwise di rection (Fig. 1) by a spring 38. One end portion 39 of the detent 36 is adapted to engage the flange 29 at the rear of thc dogging slide 24. It

will be apparent that when the dogging slide 24 has been retracted sulciently to free the roll back I1, the end portion 39 of the detent 36 will be snapped into blocking position as shown in Fig. 1, preventing movement of the dog-ging slide 24 to the left of the ligure. Forming a part of the detent 36 is a lateral extension 40 which is disposed, when the detent is in operative or slide engaging position, in the rear of a flange or shoulder 4I of the bolt plate I4. It will be apparent that upon retraction of the bolt as by slamming of the door, the shoulder 4I will abut against the extension 4|] and swing the detent 36 to the right or in a clockwise direction so that the end portion 39 is moved away from the shoulder 29, thereby permitting the spring 26 to move the clogging slide 24 to the left of the figure or into operative or dogging position.

It will be apparent that a cylinder lock mechanisrn' is disposed within the tubular housing 33, and may be held in place by a set screw 42. Since such mechanism is well-known to those skilled in this art, description thereof is not considered necessary. It will be understood, however, that the shaft fitting the squared opening 32 may be turned by means of a key fitting such cylinder I lock from the outside of the door so that upon turning the key the dogging slide 24 is retracted and thereupon turning of the handle shaft which fits the opening I6, the bolt nose I2 may be retracted sufficiently to enable the door to be opened.

The form shown in Figures 4 to 6 is similar to that above described but in this form the roll back l'lrL has a slot 43 which is adapted to receive an extension 44 on the clogging slide 24a. It is apparent that in this form, the roll back itself is engaged or dogged instead of the handle shaft as in the form shown in ,Figures 1 to 3.

In this form, the clogging slide 24a is formed with a cutout portion providing a shoulder 29et which is engaged by the end of the pivoted detent 36a when the dogging slide 242L is retracted sufliciently. To provide for slam unlocking or releasing of the detent 36a when the latch bolt l2a is retracted, a flange 45 is formed on the detent. When in dogging position, the flange 45 is disposed substantially in engagement with a cam shoulder Ma of the bolt plate. Upon retraction of the latch bolt, the cam Ma is moved rearwardly into engagement with the flange 45 thereby swinging the detent 36a upwardly against the force of the spring 38a and allowing the `dogging slide 24a to be moved forwardly by means of a spiral spring 26a, one end of which is anchored to the case plate lil8L and the opposite end of which engages a bolt on the clogging slide. A spiral spring 2l!a is provided for holding the latch bolt I2a normally in latching position. The dogging slidey 24a is similarly retracted by an eccentric cam 34a in a similar manner to the eccentric cam 34 above described, so that further description of the operation and mechanism of this form is not considered necessary.

It will be understood that numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operation may be elfected without departing from Athe spirit of the invention, especially as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned latch bolt movable to and from latching position, a retractor for moving said bolt away from latching position, a dog for holding said retractor against operative movement, manual means for moving said dog to inoperative position enabling operative movement of said retractor, a detent separate from said dog and engageable with said dog for retaining same in inoperative position, spring means urging said detent into dog-engaging position, and means operable automatically to release said detent upon retraction of said bolt.

2. A vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned latch bolt movable to and from latching position, a retractor for moving said bolt away from latching position, a dog for holding said retractor against operative movement, spring means urging said dog toward said retractor, manual means for moving said dog to inoperative position enabling operative movement of said retractor, a detent engageable with said dog for retaining same in inoperative position, spring means normally urging the detent into dog-engaging position, and means operable automatically to release said detent upon retraction of said bolt, whereby said dog abruptly returns to retractor-blocking position.

3. A vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned latch bolt movable to and from latching position, a retractor for moving said bolt away from latching position, a clogging slide spring urged to engage said retractor to block operative movement thereof, manual means for positively retracting said slide away from said retractor to enable operation thereof, a detent automatically engageable with said slide for retaining same in retracted position, and boltactuated means for releasing said detent upon retraction of said bolt.

4. A vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned latch bolt movable to and from latchin-g position, a retractor for moving said bolt away from latching position, a clogging slide spring urged to engage said retract-or to block operative movement thereof, manual means for moving said slide away from said retractor, a spring tensioned pivoted detent engageable with said slide upon retraction thereof to retain same in inoperative position, and means on the bolt for rocking said detent out of slide-engaging position for releasing the slide upon retraction of said bolt.

5. A vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned latch bolt movable to and from latching position, a retractor for moving said bolt away from latching position, a clogging slide spring urged to engage said retractor to block operative movement thereof, manual means for moving said slide away from said retractor, a spring tensionedpivoted detent engageable with said slide upon retraction thereof to retain same in inoperative position, and a cam on said bolt for rocking said detent away from said slide upon retracting movement of the bolt.

HOLDEN W. RIGHTMYER. 

